Get it done, whether Ime’s b**** ass likes it or not. And Fred can make it easy or he can make it hard. The Ime/Van Vleet stranglehold of this franchise must end. Spoiler attach pick(s) where needed If Fred wants to play hard ball… Adams, DFS, Jimmer & minimum (okogie, tate, holiday or green)
Let's be real y'all, as much as we could use his playmaking and shooting, a team starting Harden, KD, and Sengun ain't going anywhere in the playoffs. No defense.
lol of course. Wanted out of Houston, out of Brooklyn, out of Philly, and now LA. Stay as far away from this dude as possible.
Incredible that the Rockets have zero interest in a player who: Is playing at a near all-star level; immediately and greatly improves our 3 biggest deficiencies - shooting, ball-handling, play-making; makes it possible to reduce KD's minutes; has the size to play next to Fred when he returns; is friends with KD and on the same timeline with him; is the second best player in franchise history; and might only cost you Reed, a pick, and some junk. Can he be the best or second best player on a championship team? No, but who cares? On this team he'd be the third wheel at most. Picture a lineup with Fred, James, KD, Amen, and Sengun, with Tari, Bari, Clint, Okogie, and Tate off the bench. But can he fit in on Ime's rugby team? Oh, our precious Ime can only coach a team filled with his scrappy soulmates. But you know what? Coaches have won championships with Dennis Rodman, Rasheed Wallace, Draymond Green, and Kyrie Irving. Rudy T won with Vernon Maxwell and whatever voices he hears. I don't care if Harden isn't one of Ime's perfect little soldiers - I just want to win.
You know, that was skraight-up true. Morey was blowing Harden across two franchises and still got shi*ted on. Allowed to do anything. Vegas? Sure. Strip clubs until the wee hours? Sure. Late for meetings? Sure. A great talent, but the grass is always greener on the other side.
If we're going to start 3 guys that can't play defense just so we can get an offensive boost and accept a step back defensively, why in the F wouldn't we just start Reed instead of Okogie? Sengun Durant Tari Amen Sheppard That would be one of the best offensive teams in the league and we can hide Reed just like we'd hide Harden. Just wait till the summer he'll be available cheap. Remember when you were going to sign him for the max on the open market? And now you can acquire him for just any expiring contracts? That's a pattern. It's only going one direction.
Most likely the front office isn't engaging in talks because they've already been told Fred won't agree to any trade and there's no other realistic way to get a deal done. And again, practically speaking, let me ask you: Where do you see a team starting Harden, KD, and Sengun going in the playoffs? From my perspective, that could easily be a first-round exit. The offense would clearly be better than the sh*tshow we've been fielding lately, but the defense would be horrible.
the Rockets have the 4th ranked defense in the NBA Adding Harden is gonna what, make them drop from 4th to 15th? To 25th? Ime is supposed to be some savant defensive coach And why is KD being talked about like he’s a traffic cone on defense?
You can keep Fred. Reed + DFS + Steven Adams + Jeff Green works. No reason not to have both James and Fred next year. Under the theory that you're building a deal around Reed, moving Reed for Harden improves your defense in two ways. First, Harden is just much bigger and less likely to be pushed around. Second, I believe that the best defense is a good offense - when you keep the scoreboard moving, it puts pressure on the opposing team to keep up.
I found it ironic, Maori obviously has his warts but the first time Morey stoop up to Harden in negotiations, Harden blasted him all over Social media and went fully public.
As someone who presumably have seen most of James Harden's career given how long you've been on this board, surely you can tell the difference between Harden and Reed in terms of their ability to run the offense and help other players get easier buckets, right? If Reed Sheppard is a 25ppg/8apg efficient scorer/distributor, then yes the Rockets absolutely should start him over Okogie. Not even Udoka would bench Reed if he was a Harden-level offensive player.
I have also seen Harden choked in the playoffs many many times and I don’t want to deal with that BS ever again.
KD is a mixed bag on defense lately. When he gives effort he can look good, but he takes a lot of plays off. On balance I'd say he's mediocre. Unfortunately been kind of the same story with Sengun this season. Ime may or may not be some kind of defensive miracle-worker, but personnel still matters a lot regardless. It's a pretty heavy load to expect Amen and I guess Tari to carry, and I don't think a team with an average-or-below defense is likely to contend for a championship, honestly.
